Good Friday

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.   This is a day where we give thanks and remember the one who gave his life for us.   We remember the pain, sacrifice and love Jesus Christ had for us so that we could live free of sin.   We more importantly celebrate this particular day because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith. 

This year I will be spending Good Friday, with the man I love by going to our church (Park Community Church) for their Good Friday service followed by dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago, Basil Leaf.   This will be my second Easter with his family and away from mine.  As he and I continue to grow both as individuals and as a pair, each month our relationship, friendship and love for one another grows deeper and deeper.   We are forming our own traditions and make an effort to keep them, like our Good Friday tradition.   Since he and I do not celebrate any of the other major holidays together yet, this makes Easter even more special.

It is weird to think sometimes how much I am growing up and how far away childhood seems to feel.    There is no more decorating Easter eggs, going to brunch to get a photo with the Easter bunny.   No more Easter egg hunts racing against my siblings to see who can find the most eggs.   Or Easter baskets waiting downstairs for us.   Instead this holiday has a bigger meaning to me.   Sharing it with my second family and appreciating the real meaning behind Good Friday and Easter.    

Sometimes in this crazy busy life we live, it is easy to get distracted and forget how lucky we truly are.   Lucky to have loved ones in our lives, lucky to be healthy, lucky to live comfortably.    Tomorrow is a day that I look forward to each year because it helps me stay grounded in not only my faith but with myself.    I am so incredibly thankful for so many things and lately with all the hustle and bustle in my life, I have grown weary.   Weary and at times, negative.    There will always be high times and low times, and when you find yourself weary, it is imperative that you do things for you. 

Without the support and love from the people in my life, life would be less enjoyable.   Tomorrow is a day I can give thanks once again for all the ways I am blessed.   I will reflect on what my faith means to me and how much Christ did so that I could live my life to the fullest.  

 How will you be spending tomorrow?  Do you have any Good Friday traditions?    Have you ever found yourself in a moment of weariness?    How did you help bring yourself out of it?   I would love to hear from you- comments, thoughts, anything!

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf in springtime."  ~ Martin Luther